Dust-collector for flour-mills



(No Model.)

J, E. SMITH.

DUST GOLLEGTOR FOR FLOUR MILLS.

No. 267,467. Patented N0v. 1 4 188 Sa'rns Frans DUST-COLLECTOR FORFLOUR-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,467, dated November14, 1882.

Application filed April 10, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. SMITH, of Rochester, Monroe county,IlewYork,ha\-*e invented an Improved Dust-Collector for Flour-Mills, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

My improved d List-collector is represented in the accompanyingdrawings,in which Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and a partial centralvertical section on the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an end elevation.Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the rotary screens. Fig. 4 is atransverse section through the discharge-valve.

1n the accompanying drawings of my improved dust-collector, A A Arepresent a series of rotary screens; B, the brushes; 0, the inletspoutthrough which the dust-laden air enters; 1), the discharge-valve, and EE E the exterior casing of the machine.

My improved dust-collector consists of a series of rotating circularscreens havinginclined sides, arranged to revolve on a common shaftwithin a closed chamber which receives the d list-laden air, thearrangement being such that the dust is retained on the exterior surfaceof the screens, from which it is removed by stationary brushes, whilethe purified air escapes through the meshes of the screens into theircenter, and is discharged at one or both of their ends.

The rotary screens consist of inner rings or collars, F, and outerrings, G. The outer rings, G, are supported from the inner rings by theradial arms a a, which are mortised or otherwise secured in or to theinner rings, while the outer rings are screwed or bolted to theirextremities. The arms a a are double, or made V- shaped, as shown in thesectional view in Fig. 1, theirinner ends being attached to the two 001-lars F F, with which each of the screens is provided. The collars F F ofthe whole series of screens are attached together by rods Z) I), whichpass lengthwise through them,bcing provided with a head at one end and athread and nut at the other. Three or more of these rods may be used,according to the judgment of the coustructor or the size of theapparatus. The

rods 1) 0 pass through thimbles c 0, Figs. 1 and 3, by which the twocollars F F of each screen are maintained at the proper distance fromeach other. The rings G G and collars F F are (No model.)

preferably made of wood, on account of lightness, and for convenience ofthe attachment of the cloth q, with which each section is covered. Therings or collars may, however, be made of light metal, wooden stripsbeing attached to them, to which the cloth may be tacked. Any preferrednumber of these circular-screens, being bolted together by the rods 1),are supported on the shaft m by the spiders 2'. Rotary motion isimparted to the shaft by means ofabelt running over the pulley L. Theshaft revolves in journals at the center of the spiders or crossbars gg, the arms of which extend across the opening in the sides of thecasing-E, through which the purified air escapes, their ends beingfastened to the casing at the edges of the opening. After the screenshave been bolted together and attached to the shaft, I prefer to turnthem all up true in a lathe, the sides of the arms ac being trued up atthe same time, so that the cloth, when applied, shall fit smoothly overthe arms.

When the machine is in operation the screens rotate continuously, and inorder to free the cloth from the dust which deposits on the exterior ot'the screens I employ a series of brushes, one of which is shown at B,Fig. The brush B is supported in any convenient way on the cross-bark-as, for instance, by inserting its stem 25 in an opening in the caps,fastened to the cross-bar. The brush B is provided with bristles i" onits opposite faces, which are inclined toward each other, being arrangedparallel with the exterior surface of the screens, so that each brushcleans the opposite sides of the circumferential grooves between eachseparate screen. As the brushes wear away they may be moved upward, soas to keep the bristles in contact with the cloth of the screen, eitherby adjusting each separate brush upward by sliding the stem 16 in thecap 8, or by adjusting all the brushes upward at once by raising the barby inserting wedges below it at a, Fig. 1, in the bottom of the slot inthe block I, which is fastened to the inside of the casing E andreceives the end of the crossbar. As the dust is removed from thescreens by the brushes it falls downward, being guided by thehopper-shaped sides of the casing, to the valve D, by which it isdelivered to the discharge-spout o. The valve 1) is driven from theshaft m by the pulleys ff and belt It, being arranged to rotate in acircular chamber formed in the base N of the machine below the center ofthe hopper. The valve consists of a shaft, a, inserted into thecylindrical valve-body, which is provided with a series of longitudinalgrooves,in which the dust is carried around by the rotation of the valveand delivered into the discharge-spout 0.

The screens and the valve may be rotated in either direction, it being,in fact, preferable to reverse the direction of rotation occasionally,when the machine is in operation, by means of a twisted belt or otherdevice, as after the screens have revolved in one direction for a lengthof time the brushes become slightly bent in that direction, and onreversing the motion their action, in cleaning the cloth, will be foundto be very much more effective.

It is obvious that my improved dust-catching balloon may be arrangedwith its axis vertical instead of horizontal, in which case the brusheswould be preferably arranged at an angle to a radius of the balloon, asindicated by the dotted line on {v in Fig. 2, for thepurpose of sweepingoffany accumulation of dust upon the screens into the case.

At each end of the balloon a ring of felt or other suitable packing isinterposed between the end collar,F, and the casing to prevent theescape of the air at this point.

In the drawingsI have represented the cloth as inclined at an angle withthe axis ofthe shaft, the circumferential grooves running around theexterior of the balloon heingv'shapedpvith the point of the V toward thelongitudinal axis of the balloon. This is the form of construction whichI prefer, as, among other advantages, the brushes, being inclined at anangle with each other corresponding with the angle between the arms a a,may be adjusted to compensate for wear by being moved toward the axis ofthe balloon. It is obvious, however, that the cloth may be arranged inparallel planes at right angles with the axis of rotation of theballoon, the brushes in this case being made adjustable lengthwise ofthe axis in any convenient manner.

The operation of my improved dust-collector will be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description and drawings. The balloon and thedischarge-valve being set in motion, the dust-laden air from any machineor apparatus in the mill enters the casing through the spout G, and,circulating about the balloon, passes through the cloth forming thesides of the circumferential grooves around it, depositing the dust onthe cloth, from which it is removed by the action of the brushes as theballoon rotates, being finally discharged from the ma chine by the valveat the lower part of the apparatus. The air is discharged from theopenings at one or both ends of the casing entirely purified from dust.

I claim 1. The combination of a rotating dust-catching balloon, providedwith circumferential clothcovered grooves,with stationary brushesarranged to clean the cloth, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

2. The combination of a rotating dust-catching balloon, provided withcircumferential cloth-covered grooves, with the casing E, inletspout (J,and brushes B, adapted to clean the cloth at the sides of the grooves,substantially as described.

3. The combination of arotating dust-catching balloon, provided withcircumferential cloth-covered grooves, with the casing E, inletspout O,brushes B, and discharge-valve 1), substantially as described.

4. The combination of the outer and inner rings, F and G, cloth q,thimbles 0, arms a a, and bolts 11, substantially as described.

JOHN B. SMITH.

Witnesses H. G. PHILLIPS, GEO. B. SELDEN.

